Bruce Mau

Bruce Mau

Incomplete Manifesto

After reading Bruce Mau’s Incomplete Manifesto for Growth, I feel like the exemplify ways to help succeed in the graphic design world. The 43 statements, pertaining to growth in yourself as a designer come from all principles of design. For me personally, certain statements I already practice, but others have and will expand my design skills. One of a few points that Mau makes that I always thought was a fault of mine is number 25. I personally am a very messy person when I work, and the principle finding “something in the morning that you can’t see tonight” on a desk you shouldn’t clean is something I never thought of. Another point that Mau makes has often helped me solve many design problems. The capturing of accidents whether its in the computer or in the sketching phase often provides a new approach to a solution, most times in a direction you never would have thought of. Two of the points that he makes that I practice, although I feel help me as a designer, are two that bother me the most. Number 18 and 39, “Stay up late” and Coffee breaks, cab rides green rooms” seem to be detrimental to my sanity at times. I often do stay up late, not sleeping on some occasions which makes for rough mornings, making me not a pleasurable person. Second the fact that “real growth often happens outside of where we intend it to” prevents me from focusing on the task at hand. Often as I am laying down to bed, or working for instance, I will have a spark of ideas that need to be written down, or thought over, taking me of task. Those two to me are a blessing and a curse, although my design skills grow, I tend to suffer in other areas. The design world is one of little sleep, lots of problems, but in the end the production of quality solutions. It’s a career path I have chose for a reason, cause if it’s a job I enjoy everyday, it will be like I never worked a day in my life.

Questions:

What is graphic design?: GD is the presentation of information is a compact and concise form, conveying the necessary message.

What is typography? Typography is the systematic but stylistic layout of textual elements, conveyed in a way in which the information’s clarity is the most important aspect.

What are my responsibilities? My personal responsibilities are to not hold back, failure is fine if you grow from it. Experiment, fail, experiment again, learn the rules and appreciate them, but then interpret them in your own individual stylistic way. With these personal responsibilities the KU and society will see my work, not just a reinterpretation of something from the past.

Making classes more valuable? Talk with my peers, take advice, give advice, and if it’s bad advice, think of how you can apply it anyway. Read, explore, SLEEP MORE and manage my time better. Television shouldn’t be as important to me as it is. Don’t get down on myself for failures, but to learn from them and to not give up, and NEVER COMPROMISE. “Time spent wishing is time wasted, and no cause is lost if there is but one fool left to fight.”